Road Map

        to Success

At Royal Connections, we are a lower cost alternative to on site horse consignment. In those situations, you are paying for board and training, and you are utilizing what is typically a local sphere of influence that that seller has. They photograph, video and handle the process away from you, but they also charge a large amount of money and don’t always have the Niche, and Nationwide reach of specialty buyers that we do.

Though we charge less in the end with almost zero upfront risk to our sellers, we do require a little more work for our sellers and a lot of close partnership to get the deal done. Unlike Online and in person Auctions, you have complete control over where your horse goes. Our goal, and we hope that of our sellers, is that we find the best match possible FOR THE HORSE.

To facilitate this in the best way possible, we have come up with a set of guidelines to help you work with us so that together, we can find the best match for your horse. In order to do that, we have to put our best and most honest foot forward together. And while we have a thing for integrity, we also believe that presentation is key. Because the most well presented horses garner the largest interested audience. And out of the largest interested audience, not only will you secure the best price for your horse, but you also have the chance of finding the best home as well.

To do all of these things, we have created some guidelines that are integral to creating the best outcome. These things have proven again and again to create the best result for all of us.

• The consignment form on our website should be filled out in as much detail as is possible. The first time. It’s so important that you give us real and honest answers with as much detail as you can muster. Understand that although you are likely talking a lot with Robynn, her partner is actually handling the marketing and is working hard to present your horse online the best way possible. We do our best but we do work with a lot of people at once! Video creation, visual presentation and ad wording is a product of what you give to us. YOU are the source of all information. In addition to it being complete, it needs to be totally and utterly honest. No horse is perfect. We need to know it all. From there, we can help decide what gets disclosed at what point and what might not be relevant for a purchaser, but whatever it is, we need to know about it. If we find out that anything might be even slightly fishy (and we do our research), your contract will be terminated immediately.
• Please read our photo and video guidelines and really take them to heart. They have been created based on experience. You can’t believe what we have seen in the land of horse sale videos. The media experience MAKES THE DIFFERENCE. People who spend a few hundred dollars on professional photos, we have seen time and time again, sell their horses faster and for often thousands of dollars more, simply because it gets you a lot of competitive interest fast. Horses are not easy to photograph. We are happy to help put out the word for photographers for you, but because we cover such a vast area, it’s not possible for us to know everyone. We always appreciate photographer recommendations from you for our database, as well.
• No matter how many videos you send us - expect us to ask for more and be ready to get them to us fast. You have no idea how many requests we field and how many people visit your horse on our website before we come to you with an odd request for pictures of the bottoms of their feet holding a newspaper, or for WTC transitions all to the left, or whatever other request a buyer might have. Know that if they are asking, they are actively shopping and your horse isn’t the only one on their list. They are probably sending videos of 5 others to their trainer to evaluate, and when that happens they are often ready to pull the trigger before the one they choose becomes unavailable. Missing this opportunity by dragging your feet is often a lost sale. We work around the clock to respond to buyers nearly instantaneously. We need you to be just as active when it comes to helping us fill in the gaps. We can give you what we typically need up front, but we can never predict what someone might ask for. They might need to book flights or may just choose to buy your horse based on what is provided. Those that partner the best with us, sell their horses the fastest.
• Work with us on video transfer. We have found over time that the best method for transferring high quality video is dropbox. Yes, we know that not everyone knows how to use it, but this is really for your benefit. Videos sent in most methods become compressed, and as you now realize, poor quality videos make your horse look poor quality as well. Dropbox can make for extremely easy transfer of your media to us. Whether you upload on our website or if you have a lot to send, we will always “share” your horse’s folder with you. It is just as easy as dragging and dropping things into a file folder, or “sending a photo” on your phone. We are happy to walk you through the process. But know that a lot of our sellers sell more than just one horse with us. This method of photo and video transfer has been incredibly easy for most everyone. In a pinch, we can use WhatsApp, as well, but this method has become our tried and true.
• Be nice to us. Odd that we have to mention it, but as selling horses is emotional, we feel it’s important to be clear. We will not tolerate abusive messages, phone calls or temper tantrums of any kind. We are professionals and we are here to do a job. A job that we simply can not perform if you don’t understand that we are here to help you and help your horse make this transition in the happiest way possible. To save ourselves from burnout, it just has to be said. Integrity and kindness are central to how we operate.
• Present your horse to potential buyers in person like you are at the most important horse show of your life. Please refer to our checklist regarding presenting your horse to potential buyers, even if you think you’ve got it down pat. Because again, we have seen a lot go wrong, and it’s in everyone’s best interests that a showing go well. Not only does it bring better offers, but it protects you as a seller. Having a horse and barn impeccably turned out gives the overall impression that the horses are well cared for and not only that you expect the same in their next home, but that you are not easily blamed should something go awry down the road. As a real estate comparison, no matter what, the homes that are immaculately clean, beautifully staged, smell nice and are playing lovely music with all the lights and windows sparkling bright will sell far faster at a higher price than the same home in a lesser state. As with homes, horses are an emotional purchase, and even your best bred horse with amazing conformation after a fresh roll in the mud with a tangled mane just won’t show well. Part of what you are hiring us for is to lend our expertise to the process. Please, take it! We always ask for buyer feedback, and again, we need partnership here.
• Update with us regularly. We love updates! When you are around your horse, keep your phone or camera handy. Not every photo or video needs to be perfectly staged and professional. Just a few of them. Certainly, good quality continues to matter, but we want to see updates and personality. Not only that, but we use multiple social media platforms and having good content gives us a reason to share something new. Even if you don’t see your content show up there, it goes into our organized database of everything YOUR HORSE and sometimes gets sent to interested buyers who have gotten distracted and gone quiet, giving us a reason to reach back out to them. If there are any changes in health or training or registration status, let us know right away so we can update your ad to reflect this information.
• Put us in touch with your trainers. Feel free! Sometimes, your horse’s trainer can give us background insight that really helps us make the best match or write the best description. In the end, good or bad doesn’t matter as much as “accurate”. Another person often gives additional insight that you might not have thought of or in different words. Another helpful scenario is simply asking them to write something up for you in their own words about the horse. We do understand that sometimes this situation gets sticky as trainers do a lot of consignments. But know that we actually have multiple trainers that we work with. We don’t directly compete with trainers and can have quite a symbiotic relationship with them. Most prefer not to be tied to a computer when they can be on a horse instead, so we do have situations where we consign in partnership with a trainer and free them up from all of the tire kicking and marketing so they can do more of what they love. 
• DO use a trainer for riding video creation , if possible . Since we are talking trainers, this is another important area of success for you. Professionals can make all the difference in how a horse looks under saddle. We have seen time and time again, horses really being shown to their true potential in the capable hands of a rider than can beautifully put them together.
• Be patient. Even if you follow all of the above tips to the letter, sometimes it just takes time. Sometimes it’s inexplicable. It only takes one right person but it doesn’t always happen on your perfect timeline. We have some horses that we can’t believe how long they have taken to sell. Sometimes it’s the market, and sometimes it’s something we just can’t put our finger on, but we promise that we will work as long as you partner with us. And we will provide you with as much feedback as we can along the way. This also goes for the selling process. PPE’s can take time to schedule. Transport can take time to schedule. People take time to make their minds up. As maddening as it all can be, try to hang in there and be grateful that due diligence is happening and that people are making big buying decisions wisely. 
• Understand now where our value is. A lot of people think that the bulk of what we do involves marketing. We have created something special with our website and our following that makes horse shopping easy for buyers, and we do provide all kinds of behind the scenes contacts, emailing, messaging and connection for buyers and sellers. And while that is where we spend a lot of our time and money, know that a lot of the unexpected benefit you get from our partnership happens at the time of sale. 

1. Our ability to quickly and efficiently send contracts through an established DocuSign account with the experience of selling MANY horses behind that contract can save you thousands in hassles down the line. We have been there and seen that. Let our experience save you in the stress and administration department.
2. The buyer sending the deposit to us directly, not only eliminates you having to bother with paying us but we also act as a safety net as an escrow account during the transaction which makes buyers much more comfortable when it comes to moving forward.
3. Discounted transport. Our connections with transportation specialists and the discounts we have negotiated with them opens up more buyers to purchase your horses from a distance. We make it easy by quoting nearly instantaneously as buyers are shopping.
4. Our understanding of the market and what is happening in real time. We list and sell enough horses to have a pretty good idea of what your horse is worth and what might be holding up your sale.
5. Credibility. Our reputation speaks not only for us, but also for you. A lot of problems at the time of sale are caused by communication and also the fear of the unknown and lack of trust. Being able to be backed by countless personally written and posted reviews on our page gives a lot of comfort and takes a lot of the insanity out of a transaction.

• Some things that don’t go well… 

1. Having anyone else advertise your horse at the same time we are. It looks tacky, shady and   scammy…and it’s also against our contract terms. Your friends might be trying to help, but it’s a bad look for all of us.
2. Offering your horse at any price other than its agreed upon sale price with us. It’s against our terms for a number of reasons.
3.  Lack of communication with us. If we reach out and don’t hear back promptly we aren’t likely to be able to sell a horse together.
4. Getting sassy and litigious when a horse fails a PPE and the buyer backs out. It happens. All the time. The buyers are out a lot of time, effort and money They get their deposit back.

We hope this guide has been helpful in your journey of partnering with us in selling your horse! We are always open to suggestions and recommendations and appreciate your business and your partnership!